Cotton-chopper



(Model) P. A. HELMEOKE.

COTTON CHOPPER.

No. 245,492. PatentedAug. 9,1881.

NITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

FRIEDEBIOH A. HELMEOKE, OF ROUND TOP, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,492, dated August9, 1881.

Application filed March 19,1881. tModel.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRIEDERICH A. HEL- MEOKE,of Round Top, in the county of Fay ette and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Cotton-Choppers, ofwhich thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

Myinvention consists in a novel construction and arrangement ofdevicesfor raising and lowering the hoes and throwing them in and outof gear,as hereinaftermore particularly described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a machineembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 isa longitudinal vertical section, taken in the line a; at, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the frame of the machine, in which isjournaled the roundaxle B, carrying the wheels D D The wheel D is loose on the axle; butthe wheel D is fast thereon, and its revolution gives motion to abevel-wheel, E, carried by the axle near the center of its length. Thiswheel E meshes into a bevel-pinion, Gr, near the front end of ashaft,]', lying at right angles with the axle B, and having near itsrear end the hoes H, which are carried by arms 71, passing throughperforated lugs 7L2, formed upon a sleeve, k Said sleeve is secured toand adjustable on said shaft by a set-screw, and said arms areadjustable in a similar manner in said lugs. The front end of the shaftfhas its bearing in the rear end of a thimble or ferrule, J, the frontend of which carrries a collar, 2', through which theround axle Bpasses. The collar t' has extending upward from it an arm, i whichengages with one end of a connecting-rod,j, the other end of which ispivoted to an arm, k, rigidly attached to a rockshaft, K, journaled inbearings parallel with the shaftf, and provided at its front end with alever-handle, L.

On the axle B is a rigid collar, i", between which and the collar i is aspring,t' the tendency of which is to keep the pinion G engaged with thebevel-wheel E.

The elbow-lever M carries in one arm the rear end of shaft f, while theother arm is connected by a link, m, with an arm, 10 rigidly attached tothe rear end of shaft K, said lever being fulcrumed on a rear crossbarof frame.

When the lever-handle L is moved toward the seat 8 the rod j, actuatedby the arm it, pulls the collar t' outward, so as to disengage thepinion G from the wheel E. At the same time the rod m, actuated by thearm k pulls outward on the long arm of the elbow-lever M, so as toelevate the short arm thereof, and with it the rear end of the shaft f,and thus raise the hoes H from the ground. When the lever-handle L ismoved outward again the spring V throws the pinion G into gear with thewheel E, while the depression of the shortarm ofthe elbow-lever M, andwith it the rear end of the shaft f, lowers the hoes toward the groundagain.

The scrapers a we carried by standards N, the upper ends of whicharepivoted to arms 1), carried by a shaft, P, working in hangersdepending from the frame A. To this shaft I, or to a similar shaft inrear thereof and connected with it, is attached the short arm of alever, P pivoted immediately in front of the seat 8. By moving the leverP alternately to the right and left, the scrapers are oscillated so asto cause them to travel in a zigzag course as the machine is drawnalong.

To one end of the shaftP is rigidly attached a ratchet or spurwl1eel,Q,and pivoted on said shaft is a lever, B, carryingahand-leverpawl, R By engaging said pawl with said ratchet or spur wheeland moving the lever It backward the scraper-standards N are raised soas to lift the scrapers from the ground.

Immediately in rear of the lever B is pivoted a lever, S, the short armof which is formed into a pawl for engagement with the ratchet or spurwheel Q, by which means the scraperstandards may be held at whateverposition they may be raised by. the lever B, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent In a cotton-chopper, the combination, with shaft f, ofthe thimble J, having the collar 'i, provided with arm t the axle B, therod j, and the rock-shaft K, having arms 70 76 the rod m, and lever M,as and for the purpose specified.

FRIEDERICH A. HELMEGKE.

Witnesses O. L. SOHULZE, W. GINZEL.

